State Center
Natural gas power plant · Marshall County, Iowa
Nameplate capacity
7.1 MW
Rank in Iowa
#175
of 305 plants
In service since
1972
August 1972
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine
- Operator
- City of State Center - (IA)
- County
- Marshall County
- Generating units
- 6
- Share of state capacity
- 0.03%
- Rank among natural gas plants in Iowa
- #36 of 42
- EIA plant code
- 1187
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 2.5 MW | 2.5 MW | 1972 | Operating |
| 3 | Petroleum Liquids | 1.3 MW | 1.3 MW | 1995 | Operating |
| 4 | Petroleum Liquids | 1.3 MW | 1.3 MW | 1995 | Operating |
| 7 | Solar Photovoltaic | 0.8 MW | 0.6 MW | 2017 | Operating |
| 1 | Petroleum Liquids | 0.6 MW | 0.6 MW | 1995 | Operating |
| 2 | Petroleum Liquids | 0.6 MW | 0.6 MW | 1995 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in Iowa
| University of Northern Iowa | Natural gas | 7.5 MW |
| Cascade | Other | 7.2 MW |
| Franklin County Solar | Solar | 7.0 MW |
| Corning | Other | 6.8 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 7.1 MW solar plant and a 7.1 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All Iowa power plants · What Iowa actually generates